Neymar at Messi & Ronaldo’s Level And Will Be Best in The World

The Brazil and Valencia shot-stopper believes his compatriot will eventually go on to overtake his rivals and become known as the world's best player in the future.

Brazil and Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves believes Barcelona star Neymar has already reached the level of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – and has backed his compatriot to go on and be the world’s best.

Neymar lined up alongside Messi and Cristiano on the FIFA Ballon d’Or podium in January this year when he was officially recognised as the world’s third-best player.

And Diego Alves says it will only be a matter of time before the 24-year-old Brazil captain takes his place at the top of the game.

“Neymar will surely be the best player in the world in a short time. I’m sure of this,” Diego Alves told Goal.

“I was one of the first people in Spain to say that Neymar would be among the best of the world in a short time, and this has happened. 

“When he arrived in Barcelona, many people had doubts because they didn’t know much about him. They knew he was a skilled player and that he scores a lot of goals, but they did not know much else because he played in Brazil. 

“But I always said that Neymar would be a reference. In the last Ballon d’Or, he demonstrated that he is already at the same level of the best. Of course today he is in competition with two players that are also absolutely unreal, Cristiano and Messi.”

Neymar was appointed national team captain following 2014 but will not join Diego Alves at June’s Copa America after agreeing to sit out of the tournament in order to lead Brazil’s Olympic challenge at the Rio games in August.

Brazil have faced criticism of an over-dependence on their star forward dating back to World Cup 2014, but Diego Alves believes the team has already proved itself without him.

“Neymar important for the national team, but we also have other players,” he added.

“Dunga will know how to make the national team play, because this “Neymar dependence” was created by the press, not by the players nor by the coach.

Source:Goal